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There will also be stops in Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands as Luke Littler defends his title against the likes of world No. 1 Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen, who is the most successful player in the history of the event.
With the action getting underway on February 6 in Belfast and running across 17 consecutive Thursdays, here are nine of the key storylines to keep an eye on.
MORE: Luke Littler vs. Luke Humphries stats to know: PDC wins, head-to-head record, earnings and more
Premier League Darts has been an enjoyably raucous fixture on the British sporting scene for some time but Littler’s emergence promises to take the sport to a new level. Despite well-meaning fears that the Premier League’s relentless schedule might be too much for a 17-year-old last season, he promptly won the whole thing after his breakout run to the final of the World Championship.
Now Littler will compete as defending Premier League king and reigning world champion. It was notable during the final of the Worlds at Alexandra Palace how pro-Littler the crowd was, especially as he was playing perennial fan favourite Michael van Gerwen. Littler’s signature purple playing shirts are everywhere. Premier League Darts had reached a level where the event sold itself, irrespective of participants, but there can be no doubt Littler is the hottest ticket in town.
Littler’s phenomenal end to the 2024 season makes it easy to forget that deposed world champion Luke Humphries remains the number one player in the world. Humphries might still be smarting from his early exit at the hands of Peter Wright at Ally Pally. He bounced back by taking a last-leg decider against Jonny Clayton to lift the World Masters title in Milton Keynes the weekend before the start of the Premier League — a timely statement of intent.
“I’m sick of talking about Mike De Decker,” said the usually affable Nathan …
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